July 19, 2017

New print release this Thursday, July 20th. Purchase info will be posted at a random time at http://elmac.net

Print details:Winter in America
Signed, titled, and numbered by the artist.
Hand-pulled serigraph by master printer Tony Clough at Serio Press in Pasadena, California. Printed in two colors, the linework was printed in four layers to create a slight embossed effect.
Printed on acid-free, 100% cotton, 330 gsm, Italian Magnani Revere paper with one natural deckled edge along the bottom of the print.
18.25in x 20.25in paper size
(16.25in x 17in printed area)

Winter in America:
edition of 48, dark red on bright red/vermilion

Winter in America II:
edition of 8, dark blue on bright red/vermilion

Winter in America III:
edition of 8, black on cobalt blue

Artist's statement about the work:
'It seems that much of this country, if not the world, has been experiencing a growing climate of fear and confusion. Daily tragedies overwhelm and desensitize as we grow accustomed to hearing constant reports of killings by terrorists, criminals, and police. We face obscene and ever-worsening economic inequality alongside countless social and environmental problems. A dismal and surreal political atmosphere have contributed to a collective feeling of frustration and powerlessness.
I started working on this portrait of a woman in despair late last year as a response. This piece is also an homage to the great German social realist Käthe Kollwitz, who was known for her melancholy drawings and prints depicting the struggles and suffering of the working class from poverty and war. She was born 150 years ago in July of 1867, and her work is still just as powerful and relevant today. The figure was modeled after my wife's grandmother, and like most of my paintings it was not intended as a specific portrait of just one person but rather a representation of many people. It is a simple, direct expression of grief and fatigue in troubled times.'

"It is mid-winter in America; a man-made season of shattered dreams and shocked citizens, fumbling and frustrated beneath the crush of greed of corporate monsters and economic manipulators gone wild (...)
We must all do what we can for each other to weather this blizzard. Now more than ever all the family must be together; to comfort, to protect, to guide, to survive..."
-Gil Scott-Heron (1975)

It's like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog. A great read. I will definitely be back.